Estrella di Fenice
by hokkyokukou
Summary: "I feel like some of us won't return..." Maybe if he hadn't said those words they wouldn't have come true. But they won't come back. Once dead, they're gone forever. It's a fight to the death with the Grifone family and Tsuna won't stop until Daichi's brought down - or until his own death stops him. 3YL
1. The Unfinished End

**First Phoenix: The Unfinished End**

"Baseball idiot– Yamamoto– you can't stop breathing– oh fucking Christ–"

Yamamoto gasped– a great shuddering, raspy, desperate breath for air. Blood was spilling out of his mouth, running down the sides of his face as his sudden, jerky breaths tore into the frosty air. Gokudera's hands hovered inches away from Yamamoto's body– he didn't know what to do; there was too much blood gushing out of Yamamoto's wounds. Panic rose in his chest and his heart hammered in his mouth– what could he _do_–

He tore his eyes away from the stuff spilling out of the gash in Yamamoto's stomach, fighting down bile. Gokudera shook violently– he couldn't do anything; there was no one– Yamamoto was going to _die_– here in this godforsaken narrow space in between two cliffs, Yamamoto Takeshi was dying–

"God damn it," Gokudera choked out. He slammed his fist into the ground. "What the hell– what the _hell_–"

"Gokudera…" Yamamoto gasped out. His eyes closed and he fought hard to breathe for a moment, face contorting in pain. "You should get out of here… before they come back…"

His voice was so weak, Gokudera could barely hear him. Gritting his teeth, he replied, "There's no way in hell I'm leaving you here."

The corner of Yamamoto's mouth twitched– _the bastard,_ Gokudera thought, _trying to smile in this situation?_

"I thought… you might say that…"

"Baseball idiot, stop talking!"

A distant screech echoed throughout the valley, and they fell silent. Their attackers were returning. The vicious, screaming harpies –half eagle, half woman products of human experiments– were no doubt looking for their prey to clutch in their flesh adorned talons.

"Why the hell did you jump in front of me?" Gokudera choked, voice thick. He clenched his hands, grinding dirt into dust, digging his nails into his skin until it broke and bled. "I could have handled it– you idiot–"

"My bad," Yamamoto said weakly, managing a smile. "I just did it… on instinct, you know?"

Another scream bounced off the valley walls, sending shudders down Gokudera's spine. His eyes darted around nervously, searching for ways to escape– but there were none. Ahead was the steep cliff wall; to the left and right was a dusty path that stretched out for miles.

Summoning the last of his strength, Yamamoto raised his right hand. It was covered completely covered in blood, but the ring on his finger gleamed through the red liquid eerily, almost as if it were glowing.

"Gokudera, take the ring," Yamamoto said, voice quieter than ever. "Take it and run–"

"I already said I'm not leaving you behind!" Gokudera snarled angrily. "I'm going to bring those guys down and–and get you back to the others–"

Yamamoto's mouth twitched again and his eyes closed, curved up in a smile. "It's okay, Gokudera. I know I'm going to die."

"Bastard!" Gokudera spat. He wasn't going to cry– no, Gokudera Hayato did not cry– but nevertheless, the tears gathered in his eyes. He shut them tightly and snarled, "You are _not going to fucking die._"

Yamamoto let out what was meant to be a laugh but came out as a sickly, wet noise. Blood sprayed out of his mouth as he coughed. His eyes flickered as he struggled to stay conscious; his tanned face was turning paler by the second; his breath grew more and more irregular, jerky, sharp, and painful.

His time was running out.

"Gokudera," Yamamoto rasped out. Positioning his hand out of Gokudera's sight, he began wrestling the ring off his finger. "We passed a cave… Tsuna stocked up with medical supplies beforehand… there over that slope… it's not too far away…"

"I don't remember anything like that–"

"Trust me… just go. It's not too… far…"

"Alright, alright, I get it!" Gokudera snapped. "Just stop talking, I'll be right back!"

As Gokudera got up, Yamamoto managed to slip his ring into Gokudera's pocket. Giving the silver haired man what was meant to be a reassuring smile, Yamamoto urged him to hurry before the harpies returned, and Gokudera set off, running up the slope, over it– and then he was out of sight.

With a raspy, shuddering sigh of relief, Yamamoto closed his eyes. He could hear wings beating high, high up in the sky– his time had come, he knew it, and he was ready for it– Gokudera was safe now.

Shadows shot out of the azure sky, shedding snowy white feathers that floated gently to the ground as their owners shrieked and clapped their wings, speeding down into the valley. Wearing a gentle smile, Yamamoto took a deep, rattling breath. The harpies streaked down–

Blood sprayed out into the air.

* * *

><p>Gokudera had run for seven minutes before the wails of the harpies rang in his ears. Realizing that he had been set up by Yamamoto, he spun around and dashed in the way he had come.<p>

"God damn it!"

He could hear the screams.

"Let me make it in time–"

The idiot had never had that many brain cells in that head of his– no doubt this was his plan: sacrifice himself to get Gokudera out of trouble. Gokudera cursed as he ran. His gut churned– deep in his heart, he knew that it was already too late.

Two minutes had passed.

He ran faster, forcing his legs to move through his pain, his heart leaping in his chest one second and his throat the next. He would never forgive himself if Yamamoto died– no.

Yamamoto Takeshi was not going to die.

He was not going to die.

Right?

Yet, the pit in his stomach told him otherwise. Every step he took screamed out _he's dead, he's dead, he's dead_– but it couldn't be–

He was almost there.

The screams had subsided. The air was musty, heavy, and silent. Ears ringing with his ragged breath, Gokudera pushed himself to run harder, faster than he ever had before.

It might not be too late.

Finally, he came up the slope he had first run over. His eyes swept the ground frantically, his heart pounding so hard he thought his chest would burst. White feathers littered the dry, dusty path leading up to the pool of blood in which Yamamoto had lain– and then, heart sinking, Gokudera saw them.

Bones, bones white as the feathers on the ground were lying in the blood; fleshless, broken bones.

With a cry of suppressed rage and frustration he fell heavily to his knees, teeth clenched, fists balled, eyes shut, rejecting the scene before him because no, no, no, Yamamoto Takeshi could not be dead, no–

Screaming, he slammed his fist into the ground.

* * *

><p><em>"You don't have to do this if you don't want to."<em>

_Large brown eyes stared up worriedly at Gokudera and Yamamoto. The guardians minus Hibari and Lambo were standing just outside of the dark hole in the side of the cliff that was the entrance to the Valle Dispetto. It would be a long travel through the lightless tunnel, and then a hard and lengthy climb across dusty paths and slopes between two cliffs that towered almost a mile above the valley._

_"Don't worry about me– I mean, us, Tenth!"_

_"Yup, that's right! We'll be fine. We can't return to Japan without doing anything after coming all the way to Italy, right?"_

_"You guys…"_

_Reborn kicked Tsuna's shin, smirking when Tsuna yelped in pain. "Tsuna. These are your guardians. You've been through countless trials with them and the Ninth trusts you all enough to assign you this task."_

_"Yeah, I know. Geez Reborn, I miss the baby version of you. Your adult form is way too strong," Tsuna muttered, rubbing his shin. He turned his eyes back to Gokudera, who put on a reassuring smile, and Yamamoto, who was grinning again. "But anyways, those harp–harps–harpies… they sound really dangerous."_

_"Peh," Gokudera scoffed. "Those monsters the Grifone family couldn't control? It'll be a piece of cake to exterminate them, Tenth! We'll be back before you know it."_

_Still worried, Tsuna could only nod wordlessly._

_"All right!" Ryohei roared, breaking the tension in the air. "Let's go over the plan one more time to make sure!"_

_"Idiot," Gokudera snorted. "The only people who'd need to go over the plan five times are idiots like you."_

_"What did you say, Octopus head–"_

_"A-Anyways," Tsuna cut in hastily before a fight could break out. "Gokudera, Yamamoto, you two will head into the tunnel and to the harpies' nest… if you run into trouble, then contact us on the wireless and I'll fly over as soon as I can."_

_"What if the wireless breaks?" Yamamoto asked innocently._

_"Then you're on your own," Reborn said darkly. "And you can only hope for the best."_

_"Don't be so scary, Reborn," Tsuna said with a shudder. "There are also caves in which the Ninth has placed medical supplies in case of emergency. But there are only two of them, so be careful if you run into the harpies. Gokudera-kun, you've memorized the info we have on the harpies, right?"_

_"Of course, Tenth! Half eagle, half women, and created through countless human experiments conducted by the Grifone family, these monsters are as powerful as humans who wield rings," Gokudera recited. "As they have no weak spot we know of, it is best to avoid direct combat with these creatures."_

_"Haha, Gokudera, did you really memorize the whole–"_

_"They feed on human flesh and commit acts of cannibalism. Destroying their nest is the best plan of attack we have discovered so far; once their nest is destroyed, they lose their sense of companionship and set upon themselves with their sharp claws and deadly beaks–"_

_"OI, LISTENING TO THIS IS BORING TO THE MAX, OCTOPUS HEA–"_

_"–and at that point, one is able to dispose of them with moderate ease, as they will continue attacking whatever is in front of them."_

_"Th-thank you, Gokudera-kun," Tsuna said. "O-okay, next, uhm… Ryohei, Chrome, Reborn and I will head over to the Foresta Dispetto to try to make contact with the Fenice family at their Headquarters. If all goes well, we'll be able to get Gokudera and Yamamoto back-up. If we run into trouble, we'll contact the Varia."_

_"Are they here already?" Ryohei asked, craning his neck to look around._

_"No, not yet," Reborn said. "Ninth said that they'd be waiting outside Foresta Dispetto as soon as they complete their assignment. And don't forget, Shimon is also nearby, patrolling Dispetto to try to get information on the Grifone famiglia. If it really comes down to it, I'm sure Hibari will show up at the crucial moment."_

_"If I have to leave my group," Tsuna said, "Reborn will take over."_

_"And remember," Reborn added, "our group's goal is to retrieve our animal rings from the Grifone family and get aid from the Fenice family."_

_"I think that's it," Tsuna said, looking nervous again. "I-I really don't think this is a good idea now…"_

_"Useless Tsuna," Reborn snapped, twisting Tsuna's arm. "You can't back out now. And are you just going to leave your animal rings to the Grifone family?"_

_"Owowow! I know! But I just have a really bad feeling about all of this." Tsuna rubbed his arm ruefully, glancing at Yamamoto and Gokudera once more. "It's almost like… I feel like some of us aren't going to return…"_

_"Tenth!" Gokudera cried, appalled. "Don't worry about us!"_

_"That's right, Tsuna," Yamamoto said, laughing. "We've been through a lot of big pinches in the past three years, and we're still alive, right?"_

_"We'll be okay to the extreme!"_

_"Don't worry, Boss."_

_"A-ah, yeah…" Tsuna said. There was still worry in his eyes, but he looked slightly more confident. "We'll all get back safely."_

_"That's the spirit," Reborn said, smiling. "Now, let's get going."_

_And with their last smiles, and last goodbyes, the guardians parted._

* * *

><p>Static filled Gokudera's ear and a crackly voice came through on the wireless that had been so useless in the past hour.<p>

_"Gokudera-kun! Gokudera-kun, are you all right? Yamamoto? Can you guys hear us?"_

_"It's no good, Sawada, they haven't responded for the past half hour. We'll have to go in the headquarters without contacting them."_

_"Ngh… Reborn, do you think… do you think they're all right?"_

The Tenth… was worrying about them.

_"We can't know for sure. Have the Varia arrived yet?"_

_"No… I got a message from Lussuria saying that they ran into extreme trouble."_

The Tenth… Gokudera couldn't let the Tenth worry… he had to say something… his voice wouldn't work.

_"Shimon, then? Enma-kun and the others, what about them?"_

_"No good. Adelheid called in saying that the Ninth ordered them to head over to the Vongola headquarters."_

_"Hibari-san?"_

_"Ambushed. It looks like this whole thing was a trap."_

_"Then, I'm going in!"_

_"S-Sawada!"_

_"Don't be so rash."_

The Tenth was coming… no! The Tenth couldn't come–it was too dangerous–the harpies were still in the air!

"T-Tenth!"

The wireless filled with static for a split second before there was an outburst of cries.

_"Gokudera-kun!"_

_"Are you all right, to the extreme?"_

_"What's the situation?"_

_"Yamamoto– Yamamoto, how's Yamamoto?"_

His heart clenched at Yamamoto's name and his voice locked up inside of his throat. He screwed up his eyes and clenched his fists.

"Yamamoto…"

_"Gokudera-kun, what's wrong? Gokudera-kun?"_

"He's dead…"

The line was silent. Gokudera could imagine their shocked faces; he didn't want to think about it; he didn't want to think about anything.

_"Wh-what?"_

Tsuna's voice was disbelieving with a hint of hope in it, as if he were expecting Gokudera to say he had misspoken.

_"Gokudera-kun… who's dead? You mean the harpies, right?"_

Silence. Overwhelming silence. Where was that voice, where was that laugh? Where was the annoying arm that would sling itself over Gokudera's shoulders, where was that blinding smile? Where?

_"Gokudera-kun?"_

_"Oi, Octopus-head!"_

Why had it been Yamamoto? Why had he thrown himself in front of Gokudera? Why?

_"Gokudera! What's going on? Get yourself together!"_

"Yamamoto…"

That baseball idiot.

"He's…"

That _idiot._

"Dead."

Gokudera didn't really know what happened in the next half hour. All he knew was there was a lot of noise. Realization had hit him like a wave on the beach: _Yamamoto was dead._ Dead. Gone.

Forever.

It hit him hard and heavily, sending his mind spinning, his heart whirling, his stomach churning. No more laughs. No more clueless faces. No more naïve comments or silly grins, goofy smiles or cheerful chuckles. Nothing was left. Nothing but a scant pile of bones; not even a complete skeleton; no, the harpies were not as generous as that. Nothing but bones and blood…

Something landed beside him, stirring up the dust. Was it another harpy? He didn't really care. Whatever it was, he would kill it. And then hunt the harpies down. And kill them. That way, he wouldn't be sad, right? That way, Yamamoto would be avenged, right? The Tenth would be happy, Reborn would be happy– they'd all be happy.

Happy.

Right?

Yamamoto.

He flung dynamite at his target, ignoring its yells and calls. The voice sounded vaguely familiar, but he couldn't care to take the time to remember it.

"Gokudera-kun!"

Again and again he threw bombs, and again and again his target avoided them. Gokudera didn't quite know what he was doing; it was like he was watching from afar. Brown hair, orange flame, black gloves, tears, blood, bone, feathers, white, black, red, storm, rain, ring, hand, stomach, hole, guts, blood–

He stumbled back after a sharp blow to the face.

"T-Tenth…?"

"Gokudera-kun," Tsuna panted, looking shaken. Tears were falling out of his eyes. "Thank god… thank god you're okay."

Horrified at what he had done, Gokudera stumbled back. "T-Tenth… I-I…"

"It's fine, Gokudera-kun," Tsuna said, placing a hand on Gokudera's shoulder. Tsuna forced a smile, chin wrinkling and lips quivering as he tried not to burst out sobbing. "I understand how you feel."

"I… what I did was unforgiveable…"

"No." Tsuna shook his head. "It's fine." And then, "Is… is that… is that Yamamoto?"

Gokudera didn't even have to look where Tsuna's eyes were pointing; he knew that his boss was looking at the mess of blood, flesh, and bone on the dusty valley floor. He nodded, confirming Tsuna's fears. Crying out, Tsuna stumbled forward, landing on hands and knees next to the bloody mess. Gokudera joined him, standing upright. He fought back tears as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. His fingers ran over something cool in one pocket, and he took it out.

"This…"

Stained with dried blood, Yamamoto's ring of rain sat in Gokudera's hand. He clenched it tightly, closing his eyes, feeling his heart throb painfully in his chest.

_Yamamoto…_

* * *

><p>"Yamamoto? Yamamoto Takeshi? This is a nightmare."<p>

* * *

><p>It's like a nightmare, Tsuna thought. Bullets were raining down on him and Gokudera from all sides; he had barely put up a flame shield in time to protect them. There had been not even a minute for him to mourn over Yamamoto's death, and then they were under attack. Men in black suits pointed guns down at the two in the narrow valley, archers fired arrows tipped with storm flames, but the attacks all turned to ash in Tsuna's raging sky flame.<p>

In an instant, Tsuna's hyper intuition understood what was going on. The Vongola had been set up. Their enemy was the Grifone family. Knowing that the Vongola would send people in to help, the Grifone family had purposely let loose into the valley the monsters they had created, claimed that their experiments had gone berserk, and begged for help. The Vongola had taken the bait hook, line, and sinker. The trouble Lussuria had reported; the force that had called the Shimon family to the Vongola headquarters; the ambush executed on Hibari– all of it had been planned by the Grifone family.

Even Yamamoto's death.

Tsuna stood. The gunfire stopped. His black gloves reverted back into the lame, white mittens that had led him through the battles he had so hated. Head bowed, expression unreadable, he took a step forward.

"I will absolutely," he growled, "definitely never forgive you guys." With trembling hands, he brought a small pill to his lips. "For putting us all in such danger," he slipped the pill in his mouth, "For tricking us," he swallowed, "For taking one of my precious comrades away–

"I will never forgive the Grifone Famiglia."

* * *

><p>"Never ever, not after what they've done. Oh damn, does this mean the rest of Vongola family are here? This is—"<p>

* * *

><p>"This is bad."<p>

Reborn slowly pulled out a sleek, black gun from underneath his suit and held it ready. "Tsuna can you hear us?"

His response was a line of static. Reborn's face turned grim as he turned to face the mass of fighters standing before his small group. Black, unreadable eyes trailed over the enemy force, sizing it up, comparing it with his own. They had been caught in a great hall lined with enormous windows. A chandelier spanning five feet in diameter hung above them; below them were smooth, patterned tiles. Where the windows ended started an expanse of darkness that led downwards.

"Reborn-san," Chrome whispered, clutching her silver trident close to her body. "What do we do?"

"We do the only thing we can do," Reborn said bluntly. He cocked his gun, pointing it forward. "And that one thing is to fight."

Gunshots rang out into the air.

* * *

><p>And four bullets tore deep into flesh. He fell on one knee, silver hair fluttering in the weak wind.<p>

"Gokudera-kun! Are you okay?"

He clutched his side, trying to ignore the pain. He could feel the blood seep out through the holes in his side, could hear his own breath becoming ragged. Everything was becoming dark. He swayed, put a hand down on the ground for support, gasped for air.

He looked up and saw a man pointing a gun at his boss' back. Grimacing, he staggered to his feet. He couldn't watch another one of his comrades die. Not again.

Never again.

There was no time to do anything. No time to pull out dynamite, load the Flame Arrow, or whip out a gun. So he threw himself behind Tsuna just as the man fired his weapon.

Tsuna whirled around just in time to see the sunlight flash off silver hair before Gokudera's body crashed into his own.

"NO!"

* * *

><p>Ryohei bellowed as he slammed his fist into the side of a man's head, barely saving Chrome from being impaled on a spear.<p>

"T-thank you."

Chrome slashed her trident across someone else's chest, sending him flying back into his comrades. Beside her, Reborn fired his gun and more men fell to the ground, but no matter how many the three of them injured, there were always more who appeared.

"We're getting nowhere."

Reborn leaped up into the air, evading a blade by a millimeter. He slammed his gun against his attacker's temple, and then sent bullets ripping through the air and into the next assassin. A bead of sweat trickled down his face, gleaming in the golden light of the setting sun seeping in through a window.

Chrome smashed her trident into the tiled floor, sending hot pillars of magma crashing through the stones. Some of their attackers screamed and writhed on the ground in their illusory pain; others remained unfazed and advanced with grim faces. Blanching, Chrome took a step back just as Ryohei rushed forward, slashing the air with his fists. Bodies were falling everywhere, but it was too small of an amount compared to the number of people pouring into the hall.

"Get back!" ordered Reborn. He slapped a new cartridge into his gun and then aimed it up at the ceiling.

Ryohei hastily grabbed Chrome and leaped backwards as bullets left Reborn's gun. With impeccable accuracy, the bullets slashed through the chains holding the crystal chandelier to the ceiling and it came crashing down, flinging crystal shards in all directions. Nearly slipping on one of the broken pieces, Reborn turned and pointed down the hallway– the only thing they could do now against this many people was to run.

* * *

><p>"Run! We might not be too late!"<p>

* * *

><p>It was too late– too late now to save Gokudera. Tsuna could see the light fading away from the green eyes.<p>

"Damn it."

The silver hair shone a fiery orange in the sunset's dying rays, orange like the raging flames that burst from Tsuna's black gloves.

"Damn it!"

Tsuna shot up into the air in the blink of an eye, leaving his attackers in the dust.

"Operation X."

"Roger that, Master."

Tsuna's flame power went up higher than it ever had before. Orange flames billowed behind him as light radiated out from the hand he held in front of him. His anger, his grief– all his emotions were becoming fuel for his power. As his eyes caught sight of the bloody body of his friend down on the valley floor, the flame pressure shot up again. His heart hammered against his chest, his eyes widened, his breath became ragged–

This was the end.

* * *

><p>"Dead end," Ryohei panted.<p>

With sinking hearts, they faced the stone wall in front of them. They could hear the shouts of their pursuers echoing off the walls. The light from the sun flames Ryohei was using to illuminate the dark tunnel bounced off all their faces, casting their features into sharp relief. Reborn could see the hopelessness and worry etched into their expressions.

"Reborn-san… what do we do now?"

"We're underground, too… I can't punch through these walls."

Slowly, Reborn wiped a fingerprint off his otherwise gleaming gun and reloaded it. He cocked it one final time and pointed it down the dark tunnel through which they had come. Then finally, with a sadistic smile, he said:

"We'll just have to fight to the death, now won't we?"

* * *

><p>"Ahn, Boss, that was such a manly thing to say!"<p>

"God damn it, Lussuria, do you have to be creepy every moment of your life? Trash like you should just die."

"Shishishi… while the prince agrees," Bel said, leaning heavily against the trunk of a tree, "I have to say, I never thought the Grifone family was so large." He spat out blood and grinned, ignoring the pain that ran up and down his body.

"They must have brought in all their forces from around the world," Marmon muttered, straightening tattered clothes. "What a waste. I'd just sell them all off to the circus."

"They're all such skilled fighters, too," Levi grunted. He tied cloths around his arm in an attempt to staunch the blood.

"If you're scared, you can run away like the shits you are," Xanxus snarled, raising a bloody hand. "I don't give a damn."

"VOOI! Don't count on it, you shitty boss!" Brandishing his sword, Squalo bared his teeth in a hungry grin. "You aren't getting rid of us that easily!"

* * *

><p>"That's too bad then," Hibari said, breaking into a dark smile. He flicked his tonfas, splattering blood against the ground. "I'll bite you all to death."<p>

"Words from a half dead man, huh?" The leading man of the massive group swept a scythe lit with blue flames from side to side. "We'll see who'll meet their death first.

Saying nothing, Hibari rushed forward, ignoring the stinging pain in his legs and arms. He slammed his flaming tonfas into the bodies around him again and again, never relenting, never giving in– but something was worming its way into his conscious– somehow, he could feel it was the end.

But he pushed this feeling down and continued his endless attack, giving no thought to the bullets that were buried deep in his flesh and the gashes that appeared all around his body– he would fight to his very last breath.

And then for breath he was suddenly gasping. His eyes widened fractionally as he stared down at the blade sticking out of his chest. Gritting his teeth, he raised his tonfas one last time.

"Damn–"

* * *

><p>"– it all! I can't see for shit in this smoke."<p>

* * *

><p>Through the smoke, Tsuna could see an advancing shadow. He lay helpless on the ground, bones broken, bleeding, panting desperately for air.<p>

"I thought I got all of you."

The man looming above him laughed. "Almost. I'll give you credit for that. I seriously thought I was dead when you started firing off that insane flame. But now," a gleam of metal appeared through the smoke as the man raised a blade over his head. "It's time to end this. Say goodbye."

Chest heaving, Tsuna closed his eyes as lightning flames ran down along the man's blade. He heard the sword whistle through the air–

* * *

><p>–and then a splatter as blood hit the stone floor. Chrome screamed as Reborn stumbled, clutching at the blade that had pierced his stomach. With a badly aimed shot, he managed to hit the sword's owner, gleaning a grain of satisfaction from the man's scream of agony.<p>

"Reborn-san– why– why did you take that hit for me?"

"Tsk." Reborn swayed on his feet, but still managed to fire his gun. "I've gotten soft, hanging around you guys."

Something flew through the air and landed at their feet. With a jolt, Reborn realized it was a bomb– the bastards were going to blow this place up and bury everyone. The spark ate away at the fuse–

– it was a millimeter away –

* * *

><p>"I don't think so."<p>

A booted foot kicked the silver knife away from Bel's reaching hands.

"Shit…"

"Just who are you guys?" Squalo snarled. His arms shook as he tried to get up, but someone shot him in the arm, sending him crashing back to the ground.

"Boss… we're done for," Levi panted.

"Fuck no!" Xanxus raged, but he couldn't even stand.

Guns were pointed at all their heads.

"We are members of the Grifone Famiglia," the leader answered calmly. The golden griffin embellishing the enemy's uniforms gleamed in the sun. "That is all. Now, shoot."

* * *

><p>Hibari fell to his knees as bullets dug deep into his flesh. His tonfas tumbled out of his hands, clattering against the ground. Ahead of him stood a throng of men, all pointing smoking guns in his direction. Everything was turning black.<p>

"Indeed, you are a fearsome fighter," one man said quietly, discarding his empty cartridge. "You disposed of forty five of fifty of our trained fighters by yourself. However," he continued even more quietly as he loaded his gun and took careful aim, "this is the end."

* * *

><p><strong>The end is only a chance for a new beginning.<strong>

* * *

><p><em>Currently being rewritten as I try to regain momentum for this. Reworking personalities and also rearranging events. Thanks for the support, you guys :)<em>


	2. Standstill

**Second Phoenix: Standstill**

_Dear Diary,_

_God, that is so girly, but I still haven't come up with a way to start this properly, in a manly way. _

_…_

_I hope Yukari never sees that, otherwise she'd smack me upside the head. Seriously, that girl is so for women's rights and stuff like that. She's too extreme._

_Anyway… Things are looking bad for Estrella di Fenice. Did I mention? No, I didn't, looking back at my previous entries. Estrella di Fenice is what we've named ourselves now, after Grifone went and asdlkfjwiohg us. By which I mean, betrayed us. They drove us out of Fenice headquarters and took residence there—built their own headquarters about a mile or two away. We were forced to build a camp a little ways off—can't build fires that are too big because we might get caught or something like that._

_Hand cramp. Brb. _

_Anyway, god, I hate going without electronics. I'm dying here, dying! I want my Tenth Box! My Whii! My eyePod! Damn it!_

_I shouldn't be joking right now. Uncle Masao's looking livid. Apparently Vongola got tricked by Daichi and came over to Fenice to try to help or something like that—Masao said the Grifone let loose their harpies in the cliffs and sent out a signal for help. Poor Vongola. They'll get creamed. Really, I've heard that they're crazy strong, but the harpies are no joke. I've seen the victims who get carried back into camp… They're not pretty._

_Look, there's another one getting carried in. Wow… he's like… covered head to toe in blood. Oh, man, Masao's getting really angry now. He's calling me over. Did he find out about the itching powder I stuck in his underpants? Guess not, else I'd be dead right now…_

_Gotta go…_

_Laters,_

_Natsume Toru_

The seventeen-year-old boy leaped off his perch on the dilapidated wall, sticking a worn, leather-bound journal into a shoulder bag that he swung across his body. He hopped through the shabby camp, sidestepping broken bricks and his comrades who were bustling about with an air of urgency about them.

Timidly, Toru sidled up to his uncle—a man of around forty years of age with an enormous amount of graying hair and a rugged face that was currently tomato red.

"…keshi? This is a nightmare," Masao was muttering furiously. Toru coughed gently and scuffed the ground with his toe.

"DON'T ACT TIMID, BOY!" Masao suddenly screamed, jumping around to face the boy. Toru fell over and quickly assumed a kneeling position, bowing so that his forehead slammed against the ground. "I KNOW WHAT KIND OF TRICKSY FOX YOU ARE."

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry for putting itching powder in your underpants! It was an accident!"

"YOU DID WHAT?" Masao roared.

"Aw damn, I shouldn't have said that if you didn't know…"

"YOU THERE!" Masao bellowed, pointing at a man passing by. A frightened expression on his face, the man snapped into a smart salute. "TELL CIRO AND KAKUZU TO TAKE THEIR MEN OUT! CIRO TO THE CLIFFS, KAKUZU TO THE HEADQUARTERS. And run! It might not be too late!"

"Yes, sir!"

Looking all too gleeful to leave, the man sprinted off.

"AND YOU!" Masao whipped back around and pointed at Toru. "As soon as the camp clears out, you are to wash _every single pair_ of my underpants. Understood?"

"But I wanna come!"

"You're staying here with your sister! If I see either of you twins out _anywhere_, I am hanging _you_ from your ears with my fingers!" Masao rubbed his thick fingers for a spooky effect. Toru cringed.

"Why won't you be hanging _me_ from the ears?"

Toru looked up to see his twin sister, tying back her hair. He shuddered. Even though they were fraternal, looking at Yukari was almost like looking at himself. Of course, he was the handsomer of the two. It just wouldn't work any other way.

"Because you're a girl," Masao said.

"Fuck you," Yukari said. "I killed a harpy. Toru just ran away, screaming."

"That's because my _butt _was on fire!"

"ENOUGH," Masao said loudly. "I'm sick of hearing your bickering. LISTEN TO YOUR ORDERS, CHILDREN."

Toru jumped to his feet beside Yukari.

"AS SOON AS WE LEAVE—and as soon as Toru washes my boxers—YOU TWO ARE TO HIDE THE CAMP. Toru, you know what to do. Use the water ring and make sure it looks like no one's been here for years."

"But we want to fight, too," Yukari said. "We're seventeen years old. We're old enough."

"No, you're not," Masao growled. "You're seventeen years old and you still put itching powder in people's underwear—don't give me that look, girl, I know you were Toru's partner in crime. Plus," Masao said, leaning in and giving the two of them a hard, rocky look, "You bear the rings of Water and Wind. You _cannot_ die."

"But if you have us, the chances of _you_ dying decrease," Toru protested.

"STOP WHINING, BOY!" Masao roared. "We're expendable! You are not."

"Expendable, my ass," Toru spat. "No human is expendable."

"We are, when it comes to you. If any more Element Ring holders die, we probably cannot defeat Daichi. No, you listen to me. We can't take any chances here. Just because the Vongola are here doesn't mean you two can go parading out to become heroes." Masao glared at the two of them, and they looked down. "Now you listen. If anything goes wrong, or if anyone comes by the camp, you take the injured and run, you hear?"

"What injured," Toru said sullenly. "They all died the other day due to infection."

"THE ONE WE JUST BROUGHT IN. CAN'T YOU SHUT UP AND LISTEN FOR FIVE MINUTES, BOY!?" Breathing heavily, Masao stroked his graying hair and puffed. "If we are not back in a day, you run to Italy."

"Italy?"

"Look for a man named Sawada Iemitsu. He should be there. Go to any telephone booth and type in the letters S-A-W-A-D-A and you should be connected to one of his comrades."

"How are we supposed to carry a wounded person onto an airplane? We can't just stroll in and say, oh hi there, I would like to have a ticket to Italy, and oh, by the way, would it be a big deal if I haul this dead body on board?"

Masao turned a dangerous purple.

"Now's a good time to shut up, Toru," Yukari said quietly. Toru gulped.

"If everything is clear and understood, then I am going to leave you two to your duties. Remember one thing: Above all else, preserve your lives. Even if it means leaving the wounded man behind."

"Understood."

"Are you sure…" Yukari said hesitantly. "Are you sure we can't come along…?"

For the first time that day, Masao smiled. "I'll be fine, kids. Don't you worry about this old man. I'M TOUGHER THAN YOU THINK, CHILDREN! NOW, SALUTE!"

Toru and Yukari snapped to attention. In a gruff form of affection, Masao reached out and rumpled the twins' hair. Then, with a sharp salute himself, he turned and marched away, roaring at the straggling fighters who were still struggling to get themselves together.

"You, to the cliffs! You, the headquarters with me! And you two, get to Fenice village to make sure everything's alright over there! Out! Out!"

The camp was soon deserted, leaving the rubble and tents eerily quiet. Toru and Yukari stood awkwardly in silence, watching an idle piece of paper tumble past.

"Are you going to wash his underwear?" Yukari finally said.

"They can wash themselves," Toru said gloomily. He held his hand up, where a glittering, silver ring encrusted with a blue jewel sat on his middle finger, and scowled. "If it weren't for these things, we'd be fighting with the rest of them."

The blue jewel burst into a pure, cerulean flame. Toru took a nearby water bottle and opened it up. The liquid inside flowed out and over to Masao's tent—specifically, to his underwear to wash out the itching powder.

"Do you think he'll be alright?" Yukari said.

Toru shrugged and kicked the ground. "Hopefully. For now, all we can do is do as he said. I'll set things up. You go check on that dead man over there."

As Yukari went to the wounded man who had been brought in that morning, Toru made his way to the edge of the camp. Taking a deep breath, he strengthened the flame on his ring. The fire billowed out with a dull roar, seeming to want to touch the sky, but before the flames could touch the blue expanse, they dispersed and fell to the earth in a fine drizzle. The drops remained suspended in midair, like mist, and then, in a split second, they were gone.

"Mission accomplished."

Toru strolled over to the makeshift hospital where Yukari was currently squatting down, prodding uncertainly at the unconscious man.

"He looks pretty dead."

"He's still breathing," Yukari said doubtfully. "I'm just surprised he hasn't died of blood loss."

"He's pretty hot, even when he looks all banged up," Toru said. Yukari shot him a strange look. Suddenly, she jumped up, startling Toru.

"Wh-what's with you?"

"Remember Hikaru? How she'd always give us weird things on our birthdays?" Yukari said breathlessly. Her hands were deep into her cross-body bag, shoving things in and out in search of something.

"Hikaru? We haven't seen her in years. Not since—that time. Before you know. That. Wait, don't tell me you still have what she gave you…"

"I do," Yukari said triumphantly. She drew out a thin, long bottle from her bag and twisted the cap off. Golden sparks jumped out from inside, winking out of existence before they hit the ground.

"Well, damn," Toru said quietly. Yukari quickly kneeled next to the man and opened his mouth with tender fingers, flinching as her touch seemed to cause blood to start trickling out of the wounds on his face. With careful movements, she tipped the bottle over his mouth.

A thin stream of golden, sparkling liquid slipped out like a ribbon falling in the air, directly into the man's open mouth. Before it could spill out, Yukari moved the bottle so that the liquid flowed down his face—then neck—then his torso followed by the rest of his body. Steam rose from the wounds like smoke from a wildfire. With his own eyes, Toru could see the skin around the shallower cuts knitting back together.

"Firestar liquid," Yukari said in a breathless tone. "It really does work, even after all these years."

"Hikaru was always a genius," Toru said a little enviously. "I'm not surprised she could come up with this stuff. Matches almost with that famous guy—Verde, I think it was. Here's water and a towel."

Suddenly, the man—was it a man? Now that the blood was mostly off his face, he looked to be more Toru and Yukari's age—took a heaving gasp for air that was cut short by a horrible gurgle. Blood spilled forth from his lips in a sluggish, bubbling ooze, running down his chin and cheeks. His face contorted into a mask of pain as he coughed, blood spraying into the air.

"What's going on?" Toru panicked. "That's so nasty!"

"Internal injuries," Yukari said. Her fingers shook this time as she uncapped the bottle. She tried pouring the liquid into the boy's mouth, but he coughed it up.

"There's nothing left. You want to do it?"

"Do what?"

"Mouth to mouth."

Toru blanched and backed away. "Heck no! I'm a guy! And after you do it, please wash your mouth."

Yukari shot him a dirty look, but the sound of the boy's suffering brought her back to harsh reality. She took an enormous swig of the liquid—not much remained—and lowered her face, squeezing her eyes shut as her lips made contact. The terrible noise coming from the boy's throat abruptly stopped. Yukari seemed to struggle for a bit; then, she slammed her fist into the boy's stomach and drew away.

"W-what'd you do that for?" Toru asked, horrified. "He's already hurt enough!"

"He wouldn't swallow, and I figured he probably had a punctured lung based on how much blood he was coughing out, so I hit him where it hurts to make him gasp."

It seemed to have worked. The boy was beginning to breathe more easily and the horrible gasps he had been making had ceased.

As Yukari began wiping the blood off the mended skin, Toru took a stroll around camp to make sure everything was in order. He found himself staring wistfully up at the grey, bleak sky, wondering how his friends were faring. Were they well? Were they still alive? Were they fighting now, for the Vongola, whom they had never met?

"Be safe, you guys," Toru muttered. "You're the only family we have left. I won't forgive you if you die."

He laughed at himself. He sounded like a little kid. He rounded the south end of the camp; the trees were beginning to grow more closely together. He kicked a stone, sending it flying into the depth of the forest.

"Ow!"

Toru froze, adrenaline rushing through his body.

"What's the matter with you?"

"Something hit me! I swear, it came from nowhere!"

"We must be nearing the camp. Maybe it was a trap. Spread out, you guys, guns at ready. Shoot at first sight, no hesitation."

Breaths coming in shallow, frightened pants, Toru broke into a mad dash.

"Yukari!" he gasped out. "Yukari, we gotta get out of here!"

"Toru! You came just in time. The guy just opened his eyes. Starfire works wonders, would you believe it?"

Casting a hasty glance at the boy, Toru shook his head wildly and pointed to the south. "We have to get out! They found the camp!"

The joy at the boy's arousal left Yukari's face. In the blink of an eye, the two of them had gathered everything they thought they would need—water, blankets, and three guns.

"You take the guns. You're a crack shot, way better than I am," Toru whispered. Yukari nodded, anxiety showing on her face. "I'll take this guy."

"Haha… what's… going on…?"

"Oh, _Jesus_, couldn't he have chosen another time to start talking?" Toru sputtered. He stared viciously into the bleary, unfocused brown eyes that had just opened. "You, shut up! Okay?"

The boy broke out into a weak, but blinding smile. "Is it… a game?"

Toru and Yukari exchanged glances.

"He… just… recovered from some serious injuries," Yukari said. "Maybe he hurt his head."

There was no time for a rebuke. They could hear voices coming closer and closer. Hastily, they darted in the opposite direction, where a trapdoor covering a hidden staircase waited.

"Listen, man. If you wanna play a game, let's play a game," Toru dared to breathe. "You listening?"

"Yup! I'm listening!"

"Let's play the shut-the-fuck-up game until I say quits. Sound good?"

Smiling like a child, the boy nodded, face seeming to light up. So distracted by the happiness radiating from the boy's face—how long had it been since he had seen a smile like that?—Toru stumbled over a fallen tree, scraping his leg and drawing blood.

"Atch! That hurt!" he hissed.

"Toru, look _out!_" Yukari shouted. He felt something shoot past his face and heard a cry just behind him. In Yukari's hand was a smoking gun.

"Over here! Over here, we found s—!"

The voice was silenced by another shot from Yukari's gun. Three more shots to make sure they were dead, and then the three of them were running for their lives.

The boy in Toru's arms began laughing wildly. Toru couldn't believe it.

"He's nuts," he said in a strangled voice. "Completely nuts."

Yukari stopped and dropped to the ground, searching wildly with groping fingers. Four rocks arranged in a square caught her eye—she brushed them aside and grabbed something invisible to the eye. The ground rose, revealing a dark staircase shrouded in black.

"What are you waiting for? Go!"

"This damn nut won't stop laughing!" Toru snarled. He slithered into the tunnel, immediately eaten by the darkness. Taking a quick look around, Yukari followed closely, dragging the door down with her.

They were in complete darkness, darker than a moonless night. Every breath they took echoed off the walls. The boy's chuckles rattled in the tunnel, sounding like a pack of hyenas closing in on its prey.

"Shut up! Or—or you'll lose the game!"

With a soft "whoops!" the boy ceased laughing.

"I'll lead the way," Yukari said. "Let's go."

There was only one way to go: forward. The tunnel was barely two shoulder widths wide. It was impossible to get lost. Five minutes into the tunnel, the ground started rumbling.

"What is it?" Yukari gasped. "What's going on?"

A dull roar rumbled through the tunnel walls. Bits of dirt and rock rained down on their shoulders.

"Explosion," Toru breathed. "From the headquarters, I'm guessing."

"Oh, no. You don't think…?"

"Don't think, Yukari," Toru said. "We have to get out first."

There was no sound ahead of him. Toru tried to squint through the darkness, but he couldn't see anything.

"Yukari?"

"Be quiet! Don't you hear that?"

Toru strained his ears. His eyes widened in fear, body tensing, as ragged gasps reached his ears.

"Do you think it's a friend?" he barely breathed. "Where's it coming from? Ahead or behind?"

"Behind." Toru jumped, nearly cracking his head against the wall.

"_God_, don't scare me like that."

"Haha, sorry!"

"If it's behind… then—"

Bullets began ricocheting off the tunnel walls. Yelling, Toru stumbled forward, landing heavily against Yukari. Everything was complete chaos; Toru could feel bullets slamming into the ground only inches away from him.

"On the ground! Get down!" Yukari yelled. Toru obeyed, landing heavily on the injured man he'd been carrying.

Yukari shot down the tunnel, moving her arm in a straight line horizontally, hoping that one of the seven bullets she fired would hit its target. As soon as the returning bullets stopped, the two of them were up and running again.

Yukari slammed into something hard—the end of the tunnel. Her fingers scrabbled all over the dead end, feeling for some invisible latch—she caught it, gripped and turned it, and light poured into the tunnel. They shot out, slamming the entrance closed.

"Which way?"

"West—that way!"

They ran, their ragged breaths ringing in their ears. Only the boy in Toru's arms seemed to be enjoying himself, a drowsy smile on his face. Toru sorely wanted to drop him—he was so _heavy_.

"Here!" Yukari slammed her fist into the cliff wall, right next to a barely perceptible flame. With a rumble, the rock lowered to reveal a small hole through which she and her brother immediately climbed.

"God, that was exhausting. God, that was nerve-wracking. God, I never want to do that again," Toru gasped, dropping his baggage unceremoniously on the floor. "Quits, man. You win."

Beaming, the boy laughed. "Awesome! That was an awesome ride! Are we gonna do it again?"

"Heck, _no_."

Looking cheerfully disappointed, the boy said, "I'm Yamamoto, by the way. Yamamoto Takeshi. You guys are?"

Gaping, Toru pointed at Yamamoto. "_You're_ Yamamoto? _The_ Yamamoto Takeshi? Of the Vongola?"

"Yep, that's me!" Yamamoto said, smiling sleepily.

"It's an honor to meet you, sir," Toru said, suddenly bowing down. "Sorry for throwing you down like that. I had no idea who you were!"

"What's with all the formalities?" Yamamoto laughed. "Just call me Yamamoto. Everyone does. Or Takeshi. Everyone calls me that, too. Wait, that doesn't make sense. Well! What are your names?"

"Natsume Toru."

"Natsume Yukari."

"Awesome!" Yamamoto struggled to sit up, but ended up falling on his back, breathing heavily.

"I guess I'm still not up to it," he said, grinning apologetically. "Sorry."

"Naw, man, it's fine!" Toru said hastily. "I mean, you looked like a piece of road kill just a few minutes ago, so don't feel bad."

"Piece of road kill, huh…" Yamamoto hummed. "Where am I, by the way?"

"Estrella di Fenice camp. Or, you were, at any rate. You're still in the Cliffs—I heard the Vongola got tricked by the Grifone family and got ambushed. Some of our guys found you, I'm guessing, and brought you back to base camp."

Yamamoto smiled a little sadly. "Was there…" he said hesitantly, "Was there anyone… else?"

Toru shook his head. "Not that I know of."

"I see…"

Yamamoto fell into a lapse of silence after that.

"We should close up the entrance," Yukari pointed out. "Did you grab a lantern?"

Toru pulled it out and handed it to Yukari. As he closed the entrance to the cave, a silver flame leaped into existence on Yukari's finger. The light danced cheerfully across the now-dark cave, sending thrilling shadows against the walls.

"That's a weird flame," Yamamoto commented. "Silver? I've never seen one like that."

"It's… a special flame. Not like yours or any others," Yukari said unhelpfully. She held her ring to the wick of the lantern. Slowly, the flame guttered and then passed on into the lamp.

"Sleepy…" Yamamoto murmured. "Mind if I…?"

"Go right ahead," Yukari said gently. She pulled out a blanket from her bag and covered Yamamoto, hoping he could sleep comfortably despite the rocky ground he was lying on. Already, he had fallen asleep.

"Yukari," Toru suddenly gasped. "I just… I just realized!"

"What?"

"You had mouth to mouth with _the _Yamamoto Takeshi!" Toru said giddily. "Oh man, I should've taken up the offer! Or filmed it! Put it on Touyube; it'd be an instant hit!"

"That _never_ happened!" Yukari snapped, turning red. "Now go to sleep or something! I'll take first watch."

Toru thought he would have been too tired to fall asleep, but he found himself drowsing in a matter of seconds. Yamamoto was breathing lightly; Toru heavily; Yukari calmly with her arms wrapped around her knees.

Together, they spent the next few hours like that, just the three of them alone in that cave. With the silver flames flickering and casting dancing shadows across the walls, they drifted in and out of consciousness, all the while hoping against hope for a miracle…

A miracle that all their comrades would come back alive. Was it too much to ask?

Perhaps.

* * *

><p>A whip cracked, and a low cry cut through the air. Blood dripped from a face framed with hair that was once a beautiful golden color, but was now dirty with dried blood. His arms were chained up against a wall; his head hung limply against his heaving chest.<p>

The man's heavy gasps filled the air. Irregular and pained, they were the only sound in the dark room other than a low chuckling.

"And now, my dear Dino Cavallone, would you like to tell me where those rings are?"

Dino forced his face up, brown eyes clouded in pain. He could feel blood running down his entire body—he wondered how many bones of his were broken—or maybe the correct question to ask was how many _weren't_.

"I won't… tell you…" he gasped out.

"How valiant. How admirable. But now is not the time to be _brave_, Dino. The sooner you give me what I want, the sooner your pain will end…"

"I won't… never…"

"Now, now, you know how the saying goes… 'never say never.' I'll have you tell me, and soon…"

A dark-skinned finger reached out and ran across Dino's cut and bruised lips before trailing down his neck to a skin-deep cut.

"I'll ask you again. _Where are the Mare Rings?_"

"Where… you'll never… find them…"

Dino screamed in pain as the finger dug deep in the neck wound.

"I'll return tomorrow. I hope you change your mind then. Otherwise, I might have to… _cut_ the answer out of you."

A tongue slithered out of a pair of lips and licked the blood off the finger. Boots hit the floor and the door to the dark room opened. Dim, musty light flooded the room.

And then the door creaked shut and the light was gone.

* * *

><p><strong>I won't give up; not till I see dawn again.<strong>

**We are foolish creatures, believing in such human things.**

* * *

><p><em>Yaaaaannnggg~~ after almost a year… a chapter has been rewritten!<em>

_To tell the truth, I got my computer replaced… with a laptop! All the stories are on the other computer, which is currently in the garage. Maybe one day I will go and fetch the documents. Maybe it's better that I don't get them, so as to help me rewrite these things._

_I do want to get the endings of each chapter, though. I don't think I can replicate them XP_

_Tenth box = xbox. Whii = wii. Eyepod… obviously iPod lol. TouYube = youtube. Oh, I am so original…_

_AND MOTHER OF GOD XANXUS WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO YOU AND SQUALO skfjio k done with spazz._

_Hope you guys are still reading~~ Have a nice day, everyone~_


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